Better listen to Hard Time by Seinabo Sey while reading this for best effect.

WARNING: Pretty violent.

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I'm bored off my ass.

What the fuck's taking them so long?

I flipped the football in my hands, looking around the field while I sat on the bench. It was a bit cloudy. Perfect weather for a game.

It was lunch time. Some students ate at the bleachers, while some studied. A bunch of cheerleaders looked like they were having a meeting or some shit at the bottom. Meanwhile, the school marching band practiced their thing at the other end.

"Hey!"

I turned my head and saw Alfie running towards me. He was wearing the same maroon letterman jacket I did. When he neared, we did a pound explosion. It was kinda our thing.

"They're coming," he informed me.

About damn time.

I nodded and looked away. We only had half an hour of break left. We better make it quick. Alfie took the football from me and sat on my side.

"You tell Buckley about this?" he asked, tossing the ball between his hands.

I frowned. "Why the hell would I tell her?"

In no way did I want her involved in any of this fucking mess. She had nothing to do with it, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Alfie raised his hands. "Just asking, man. I thought you tell her everything."

"Not about this," I replied quietly, looking away and shaking my head.

This revenge scheme we had going on was some horrid shit.

Halo was far from that.

It had been two weeks since we started going out. Coach Buckley wasn't happy, but he wasn't really stopping us either. Scout Crimson wasn't all that thrilled, too.

Boohoo. Cry me a fucking river.

Of course, Coach Buckley had no clue that I was picking up Halo every now and then for a night cruise. She was practically a pro at sneaking out now.

Yeah, I think I'm rubbing off on her.

She was still shy at times. But mostly, she was comfortable with me. She even sent me a goofy selfie just this morning. I smiled whenever I remembered how cute she looked, with her morning face grinning against the sun. Actually, she did that almost everyday since last week. I had to admit, I've also done it a couple of times.

It was fun. Everything with her was fun.

A sigh escaped my lips.

I never thought of Snow again since that day at the hallway two weeks ago. I guess it was a moment of weakness. I was feeling vulnerable thinking about the probabilities of this thing with Halo ending badly.

Thing is, even if I'm brave enough to risk myself this time, I'm not sure I'll be able to find my way back if I lose myself again. I might end up getting lost for good.

Full of fucking Ifs. I needed to get back to the facts. Like the fact that I was itching to get this over with. Unlike with Lawley, this time it wouldn't be a quiet thing.

"Incoming," muttered my best friend.

I raised my head.

Frisco and Kurt walked with Cameron Wood behind them. He tried to strut to show that he wasn't scared shitless. My eyes studied him, though. His hands were buried inside his pockets, probably in fists based on the bulks. His upper body was stiff, jaw clenched, and eyes narrowed. He was uneasy as fuck.

I leaned, my elbows on my knees and a crooked smile on my lips.

I'll be enjoying the hell outta this.

"Ever played football, Cameron?" I asked casually, when they stopped in front of me.

His eyes met mine head on. "Tag football."

"No tackles?" I smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Some of us don't have to hurt someone to prove we're better," he deadpanned.

The corner of my lips twitched. The fucking nerve.

"You got it wrong, man," I chuckled anyways, waving a hand dismissively. "You prove you're stronger if you can tackle, but you prove you're faster if you can avoid it. Depends on the perspective," I added, shrugging.

He shook his head impatiently, and demanded, "What do you want, Oz? Why did you send your minions for me?" He flashed them a look, and muttered, "Didn't even let me finish washing my hands."

Kurt snickered, while Frisco rolled his eyes.

"Fuck me," mumbled Alfie in amusement.

I stared at Cameron for a moment, then nodded. No need to prolong this.

"See that spot?" I pointed to the empty parking space in the distance. When I saw him looking, I added, "That's where the football building used to be - until it burned down to the fucking ground."

Nobody spoke. Amusement gone.

Alfie gripped the football in his hands, turning his knuckles white. Kurt crossed his arms and stood up straight, his face stern. Frisco looked down on his shoes with his forehead creased. Cameron shifted his body, as if ready to run.

"You know how it happened?" I asked tonelessly, watching him.

"I heard it was because of a defective light bulb," he answered, after swallowing.

Is that sweat on his forehead? Oh, come on. I only asked one question, and already he was sweating his ass off. I haven't even started yet. Damn, sissies.

"Funny how a little shit can blow everything to fucking bits," I said softly. "But we know there's more to the story than that."

His lower lip quivered. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know, really?" I egged on, my eyes turning to slits as I studied him more.

"No, I don't," he stated firmly, standing his ground.

"That's not what Jay Lawley told us," I lied.

His stance faltered. "W - What did he say?"

I shrugged.

He frowned, shaking his head wildly.

"No, you're bluffing. He wouldn't say anything."

Bingo.

I smirked.

He blinked, realizing his mistake.

I cocked my head.

He took a step back.

"Why do you think he got off that easy?" I taunted.

He closed his open mouth.

"But you're not like him," I said gently, standing up and stepping closer. "You're loyal. It'd take a helluva lot for you to betray Scout."

Something flashed in his eyes.

"Scout doesn't have anything to do with this!"

I smiled crookedly. "I know."

He looked at me, confused.

I glanced around the crew. We exchanged nods.

Cameron just passed the test. Other than the fact that he voiced out Scout's innocence, he'd also do anything for his posse of pussies.

Time for phase two.

"We have a proposition for you," piped up Alfie, getting to his feet.

Cameron switched his suspicious eyes to my best friend. He was wary of us. Shocker.

"Tell you what, we'll stop with the payback if you beat Frisco on a tackle."

Honestly, we could have them just admit to their bullshit and own up to it in front of everyone. But that would be lame. Plus, it would be over way too damn soon. There was also that possibility that they might get away with it with only light punishment.

Hell no. Our way was better. We'd make sure they got what they deserved.

If not more.

"That's it?" made sure Cameron, skeptical.

"That's it," I confirmed, giving him a nod.

"You'll leave us alone if I beat him?"

"What, are you fucking deaf or something?" said Alfie harshly. "I just said so."

Cameron glared at him for a moment. "Deal," he finally said. "If it's for my friends, I can take on anyone you throw at me."

Stupid, stupid thing to say. Then again, he's a dumbass.

"How 'bout we make it interesting, then?" I challenged, opening my arms in a gesture. "You confidently say you can take on anyone, which is a pretty dumb thing to say, by the way." I paused and stared at him. "So why don't we make it Kurt instead?"

Kurt's head perked up. He grinned and waved at Cameron.

The dipshit cowered, but quickly composed himself.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Or you could out the mastermind and we'll go easy on you," I suggested, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal.

"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked indignantly.

My eyes narrowed. His confusion wasn't fake. They got tricked. Whoever was behind the whole shitfest manipulated the bastards. And they had no fucking idea.

Genius motherfucker.

"Positions, people!" announced Alfie.

Right, time to play.

Kurt and I took our posts.

"What are you doing?" asked a puzzled Cameron.

"We're getting ready to play football, fucktard," I explained.

"I thought it was only me and Kurt."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"Alfie," I ordered.

My best friend sighed. "Listen, I'll hand you the ball after I yell 'hut.' After that, you do your thing trying to outmatch Kurt. Got it, dickwad?"

"You don't have to call me names," retorted Cameron.

My eyes opened in time to see Alfie pouting mockingly.

"Oh, sorry. Did I hurt your itty bwitty weelings?"

"Shut up," said Cameron, pushing away Alfie's outstretched arm.

"Hey, mofos," called out Kurt. "Are we gonna play or what?"

"Chill out, man," laughed Alfie, taking position behind Cameron.

Cameron wiped his forehead and mimicked Kurt's stance in front of him, not trying to protest anymore. The big guy leered.

"Have you ever tackled someone before?" I asked casually.

"No," he answered, with gritted teeth.

"Have you ever been tackled?"

"No."

Huh. He had no chance, then.

"Do you regret screwing with us last year?" I asked carefully, tilting my head.

He looked me in the eye. "No."

My eyes turned dead as I looked at him.

"Was it fun?"

"Yeah," he snarled.

My blood fucking boiled. It took everything in me not to lose my shit like I had before. I wanted to go all Hannibal Lecter on him, only I'd feed him to the dogs instead.

Goddamn it. If looks could kill, he would've been ripped limb from limb and roasting in fire on the ground right now. Lucky for him, I didn't have that power. Too bad.

"You'll die," growled Kurt, his fists turning white.

I didn't even bother calming him.

"Easy, dude," said Frisco, serving as the referee.

My eyes stayed on the cocksucker. "You didn't expect us to just fucking sit and watch while you got away with it, did you?"

He bared his teeth. What, was that supposed to intimidate me? Fat chance. He looked like a fucking chipmunk on steroids.

"Are you scared?" I mocked, with a low voice.

"No," he said, scowling deeper.

I flashed him a humorless smile.

"You should be."

He looked away. "Let's just fucking do it."

Alfie gasped. "You said the F word! Crimson will be very disappointed in you."

"Are we gonna do it or not?!" exclaimed Cameron.

"Calm your tits, you dipshit," scolded Alfie, from behind him. "We're in public. Don't wanna let the bystanders know the details of our agreement."

Cameron didn't say anything. He just focused on Kurt.

Game time.

"You ready, K-man?" Alfie asked Kurt.

"Born ready," he grinned.

"Don't hurt yourself," I told Cameron.

He ignored me.

"Positions," said Frisco loudly.

Alfie and I made eye contact. I nodded, and I saw the wicked gleam in his eyes before he sneered. I smirked.

"Hut!"

Cameron caught the ball and prepared to cut through Kurt. But the thing was, he wasn't really a football player so even though he might be fast in the court where the floor was smooth and hard, he wasn't fast enough out here in the grass.

And since he didn't know how to properly dodge an attack, his figure was off when Kurt tackled him to the ground.

I think I even heard a crack. Ouch.

He screamed and cried, writhing in pain. Frisco picked up the fallen football, as we ran and gathered around Cameron.

"Get some help," I told Alfie.

He turned around and yelled, "HEEEEELP! Someone call 911!" He paused. "Nevermind! I just remembered I have a phone!"

"It hurts!" cried Cameron, squirming on the ground. "FUCK! It hurts!"

I warned him not to hurt himself.

I fell to my knees and studied him. He was trying to reach out to his right leg, but it was like he was afraid to touch it. I reached out a hand and lightly poked it. He yelped.

I looked up to Kurt. "How fucking hard did you hit him?"

"Shit, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I got carried away. I was pissed."

I nodded, understanding him. We were hyped from the shit this chipmunk said.

"We should take him to the hospital," suggested Frisco, with a worried frown.

"The paramedics is on the way," said Alfie, just as he hung up.

My eyes returned to Cameron, who was still crying in pain. The injuries gotten from this sport were no joke. The pain was fucking hell. It was probably swelling already.

I should pity him. I should feel bad.

I should feel something.

But all I could think of was, 'Two down, one to go.'

How fucked up is that?

"Let's take him to the bench," I decided.

Kurt and I slowly lifted him up, careful not to touch his legs. Alfie and Frisco, on the other hand, calmed everybody who was near us. I just realized we had a crowd of onlookers. Some whispered, and some had their phones out.

I'm not worried, though.

Technically, we wouldn't get in trouble for Cameron because there were witnesses. In their eyes, we were only playing football. Injuries happened all the time in our sport.

Cameron was just too dumb to go along with it. If he decided to blab, the facts would go against his words. Oh, and the video tape, too.

Ever wondered where Connie was all this time? She recorded our little game from the bleachers, far enough not to see the vengeful expression on our faces. It would look like an innocent game. Pretty solid proof, if you asked me.

I looked at the dipshit, who now laid on the bench while we waited for the ambulance. We went a little too far this time. Did I give a shit? Not really.

Flashes of black smoke covering the sky filled my mind. I remembered Adam lying in the hospital, trying to be strong despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to play anymore. I felt useless at the time. But I swore to make the cowards pay.

And now two of them have.

Sucked being trapped, huh?

Welcome to the fucking club.

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I feel nervous and excited at the same time. How about you?!

I literally prepped myself listening to angsty songs for thirty minutes before I wrote this. Getting into this side of Oz is never easy. He's scary. :/